Second Chances
by Tsume12
Summary: Cloud is given a choice - go back, or watch the Planet die. Sephiroth gets dragged along for the ride. Second chapter end edited.
1. Prelude

_All right, I've finally decided to start posting some of my other work. And I have been working on this one sporadically when my inspiration for my two posted runs temporarily dry. I'm going to therefore have sporadic updates on this one, too. Might be a bit quicker the first week, as I have some time to myself (for once), but I make no promises._

_OK! Yet another FFVII Timetravel fic. I've not found very many regarding Sephiroth being sent back in time as well, and I've been bouncing about four different versions of this on my computer for a while. This is the beginning I like the best._

_Disclaimer: Do I _look_ like a game designer?_

_**Prelude:**_

He knew he'd agreed to it, but it was still like getting clocked upside the head by a landslide. Gaia had warned him—she couldn't be exact. She could only send him back so far. And that he and Sephiroth were so intertwined on a freakin' _spiritual_ level that Sephiroth would be dragged along—sane, but remembering.

"Strife!" the snapping voice sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

He couldn't focus on it though, as the pain _really_ hit. Another thing he'd been warned about. Everything he was would go back with him, meaning the younger body he'd been dumped into was getting a massive upgrade in very little time.

Not that he'd grown much since his cadet days, but he'd certainly filled out quite a bit. Not to mention the enhancements. He snapped his eyes closed against the light as someone removed his helmet, almost seizing in agony.

The voice came again, this time sounding more concerned than angry. "Strife! Damn, you—Hansen! Get a med team!"

"No need," a calm, authoritive voice cut in, one that Cloud had _not _been looking forward to meeting the owner of.

"General, sir!" What was that drill sergeant's _name,_ anyway?

A strong Cure washed over him, and the pain lessened for a moment, though it began building again right away. Still, he struggled to sit. Sephiroth was not someone he wanted to be so _weak_ in front of, regardless of present sanity. And of _course_ the General wouldn't get anything but memories—he'd just been dragged along for the ride. Not to mention he was _already_ enhanced.

"Calm down, cadet. I'm going to get you to help."

He didn't _need_ help, and Sephiroth scooping him up in a firm bridal hold was the _last_ thing he wanted.

Then a soft voice in his ear had him stilling even as he could feel the man carrying him stride quickly across the training yard. "For what it's worth, Strife… I'm sorry."

He forced his eyes open as the pain finally began to abate, putting aside his physical condition to judge Sephiroth's mental one.

Those slitted green eyes glowed brightly with distress, and the use of his last name was telling. Sephiroth glanced down to meet his gaze and flinched away.

Finally, Cloud forced himself to relax somewhat. "I know," he murmured.


	2. Chapter 1

_All right, do _not_ get used to this chapter length. I don't usually write so much at once, but there was no good break-place in the middle. The only breaks were early on, and that would have made it ridiculously short, so I kind of melded the first two chapters into just the one._

_**Chapter 1**_

Cloud was relieved when Sephiroth did _not_ take him to the cadet infirmary, instead going to the SOLDIER Firsts' apartments on the 60th floor. There were six in all, only three occupied, the walls heavily soundproofed to spare Mako-sensitive ears. He was deposited almost gently on a leather couch, a soft sound indicating Masamune had been leaned against something nearby, and a second Cure washed over him.

Cloud couldn't quite stop his relieved sigh.

"What happened, Strife?"

Cloud sat up, rolling his shoulders and testing how he felt. Pretty normal for him, all things considered. "You mean in the training yard or the future?"

Sephiroth shifted uneasily, moving to perch on the edge of a matching leather loveseat cornered up to the couch. "All that was real."

"Hoping it was some kind of freak hallucination?"

A soft sigh.

"Yeah, well, Gaia was _dying,_ Sephiroth. Between you and JENOVA and Shinra… Too much went wrong. Meteor and Holy were _too much._ She asked me to go back. Gave me a few warnings and said you would be dragged along because our spirits are intertwined, whatever _that_ means. Anyway, we're the only two who remember anything. It hasn't happened yet_._ If I have anything to say about it, it _won't._"

Cloud's sharp eyes locked on to Sephiroth and he stood, hand going to where Ultima would be in its harness, had physical things come with him. Ultima, though… made from the Planet's WEAPONS…

He _pulled._

The combined blade appeared in shimmering wisps of green, materialized from the Lifestream.

Sephiroth started to his feet, making an abortive movement towards Masamune—then stopped, head dropping.

"Part of me is screaming to kill you now," Cloud stated quietly. "Keep it from happening again. After all you've done…"

Sephiroth closed his eyes.

Cloud had thought this over time and again, agonized over it, always wondering. Now he knew.

"… but it wasn't really you, was it? Anymore than it was me giving you the Black Materia. We've both been puppets for JENOVA. How can I condemn you for that?"

Ultima clicked softly as Cloud flipped the blade up, shouldering it in a habitual movement, blinking as equipped materia registered, then dismissing them entirely to focus of the clearly startled General. "Like it or not, we're in this together, Sephiroth."

Cloud held out a hand.

"How can you…?"

Cloud snorted, "How much of it was really you?" His hand still outstretched, Cloud waited.

Slowly, Sephiroth took the hand. "What would you have us do?"

_xxxx_

The discussion lasted several hours before Sephiroth nodded once and stood.. "You are certain you wish to do this?"

"What better way, than from the inside?"

Sephiroth's lips twitched slightly, almost a smile. "I will return shortly. There are those I believe you should meet. I will bring new uniforms and send for the other generals."

Cloud nodded, "… Thank you."

Sephiroth jerked slightly at the quiet expression of gratitude. "… You have no cause to thank me."

_xxxx_

It was surreal, Cloud decided. He was in the past. In the past, with Sephiroth not trying to kill him, destroy the world, or anything else of a sociopathic nature. The whole thing was almost beyond believing.

Everything he'd fought for, every victory, every defeat… erased; only memory holding those things now.

Zack and Aeris, alive. Meteor, never fallen; Holy never inciting the Lifestream to defend a planet under siege. The slow dying of everyone and everything save himself and Vincent…

_Vincent._ How could he have _forgotten?_ What to do about Vincent—the man would be the still sometimes-out-of-control guilt-ridden wreck he had first met, but perhaps…

Sephiroth's return interrupted that train of thought, the Silver General tossing a package to Cloud almost off-handedly. "Those should fit you. I would suggest changing quickly."

Cloud grimaced, but retreated to the guest room and changed, still musing on what to do. Well, he had to go to Nibelhiem to introduce Sephiroth to his _real _ mother—and that was a distinction he was going to have to make, between the sane Sephiroth and JENOVA-controlled pieces—maybe going to wake Vincent then would be possible, too?

But then… Sephiroth and JENOVA were a bad combination. Perhaps it would be best to see if he could go alone first, call it a family visit.

Cloud sighed, returning to the living room where Sephiroth was waiting. Most of the discussion would have to wait; he could hear footsteps in the hall. But the one little detail… "May I call you Seph?"

Sephiroth blinked and the footsteps paused outside the door, a sharp knock echoing through the room.

Sephiroth didn't turn his head, evaluating the not-so-young warrior in front of him, trying to understand even as he called out "Enter!" before returning his full attention to Cloud.

"Why?"

Cloud's glance flickered to the—three—that were filing in the door, eyes widening as the last in line registered as _Zack._

"Strife?"

He had known, but it was still a shock to see his fried _alive,_ so cheerful—if puzzled—and innocent.

"Strife!" A hand closed over his shoulder and he was twisting, grabbing the offending wrist and forcing its owner to his knees before he even registered what he was doing.

Sephiroth went down with a surprised grunt, Cloud releasing him and stepping back when he realized what he'd done.

"I should have expected that," Sephiroth muttered, standing with a grimace as he rubbed a strained shoulder.

Two First-Class SOLDIERs and one new Second _stared._

Cloud glared, still coming down off a brief adrenaline high, "Don't _do_ that."

"I… apologize. I should have realized…" Sephiroth sighed, the reasoning behind the nickname registering. "Very well. Call me what you wish."

Cloud shifted, glancing uneasily at the other SOLDIER generals. He recognized them from Zack's memories, but he had never met them himself. Zack, though… mentally, he shook himself. This young Second was not the Zack whom he had known, the Zack who had taken on Shinra's army and died for him.

And damned if he would see that happen again.

Sephiroth's reply to his earlier question hit at about the same time as the apology registered. "Thanks, Seph," he murmured, glancing at the hand still absently rubbing a black-clad shoulder. "Did I hurt you?"

The hand dropped, "It will heal," Seph stated dismissively.

Cloud face-palmed in exasperation, "Not the _point,_" he snapped. "If I hurt _you,_ oh mighty General, what the hell do you think I would have done to a _normal cadet_ if they pulled that stunt?"

Sephiroth winced slightly at the prospect. "Dislocated shoulder at the least; possibly have removed the arm entirely."

Cloud stepped back, dropping onto the couch with a sigh, "This is going to take some getting used to."

"I will speak to Lazard about getting you removed from the cadet program and entered into a private mentorship. I will understand if you wish another to be your mentor."

Cloud sighed, "Probably better be you, Seph," he pointed out wearily. "I'm not sure who else there _is._"

Sephiroth considered him for a moment, then nodded sharply, turning to include the still shocked-to-silence group behind him. "Angeal, Genesis, …_Puppy,_ this is Cloud Strife. Strife, Angeal Hewley, Genesis Rhapsados, and Zackary Fair."

The sudden inclusion seemed to break their shock, Genesis immediately rounding on his onetime rival, "By the Goddess, what _is_ this cadet?"

Slitted green eyes flicked uncertainly towards Cloud, and the younger male let his head drop back against couch cushions with a soft groan, the ache building again, wondering why the General was so insistent on deferring to him.

"Strife?"

The uncertain tone was clearly another shock to Sephiroth's friends, and Cloud huffed softly, opening his eyes. "Cure?" he asked.

Realization flashed across Sephiroth's face and he cast the spell without hesitation. "Do you have any idea how long this will continue?"

"Never happened to me before," he pointed out wryly, climbing to his feet. "Thanks," his hand came up habitually to check Ribbon—and he was shocked to find it wrapped securely around his arm, but forced himself to keep a neutral face, turning his attention to the other generals and Zack.

Sephiroth did so as well, "There was an… _occurrence_ on the training fields. Cadet Strife collapsed while I was walking by and began to seize. I had initially intended to take him to the cadet infirmary, but he opened his eyes as we were approaching the building," a light gesture brought attention to said features, and sharp inhalations said they could see how brightly they glowed. "I have reason to believe this is the Professor's doing. He does not remember much, but I know there is a lab in his hometown and there are times when he reacts violently to touch. I do not wish to see him returned to such conditions."

"You think… Hojo?" Angeal was the one to ask.

Cloud couldn't stop the flinch at the name, a snarl of pure defensive hate crossing his face.

Sephiroth glanced sideways at the young man, "I do. He showed no overt signs of this before today, so it is possible—"

Cloud broke in, "He is a small man, with cold hands and a high voice?"

A hesitant 'yes' reached him. "He… I'll kill him if I see him. I don't _care_ what they do—I _will_ _kill him._"

"I believe that is a 'yes'," Genesis murmured.

"What did he _do_ to you?" Zack's voice, quiet and frightened.

For or of, Cloud didn't know. "It was cold, when he was there. Cold and burning and _knives…_ he tried—tried to make us into… clones. The 'real' clones were dead, he couldn't get them to live. Hollow shells, didn't move or think. There were two of us. He tried—Sephiroth clones. Wanted to match his 'greatest creation'…"

Sephiroth winced. He had known, from Lifestream-Zack, but that made it no easier to hear again. "Strife…"

"Called us 'failures'. Better than successes; he stopped paying attention. The other…he got me out. Died protecting me—I couldn't move on my own…" all truth, but vague. Let them not ask again.

"Looked like you—_sounded_ like you—" he looked directly at Zack, "but… jaded. Tired. Always tried to smile for me, even when…"

Cloud closed his eyes, dropping back to the couch, head going to his hands, "I can't."

"Breathe, Strife," Sephiroth again, voice firm but gentle. And not Sephiroth, not JENOVA-controlled and hateful—Seph. He'd said _Seph_.

Cloud _hated_ reliving those memories, broken and green-tinged as they were. "Couldn't remember, before," he muttered into his hands, "Not until… it's still all in pieces. Like broken glass."

"Why did you come to Shinra?" wary curiosity from Angeal.

"I didn't remember. Just that Sephiroth meant _something._ I thought—I thought I could find out _what._ Didn't know it meant…" Meant bloody green memory. Meant so much—and didn't mean it at all. _This_ Sephiroth was so different from the shell he remembered. Half-truth, half-lie.

"Strife," Seph again, almost pained.

"Not your fault," Cloud murmured tiredly. "Hojo and… _her._"

He heard the rasp and creak of leather moving, sensed Seph kneeling near him, "He won't come near you again. And now that I know what she is…"

Cloud grunted, half relief, half disappointment. He hadn't been kidding when he'd said he was going to kill Hojo if he saw him.

"Safer if you stay away from her," Cloud murmured, soft enough that only Seph could hear.

"So you want us to help you protect him?" Genesis asked Sephiroth, serious and not scathing at all.

"That would be appreciated," the General stated, turning his head to glance at his friends. "He needs time and training to adjust to the sudden onset of his enhancements. Suffice it to say, he did not look like this an hour ago."

Cloud gave a laughing groan, "Ow," he admitted, "No, I think I was a good inch shorter at least."

"And a great deal thinner," Seph agreed dryly, "I would suggest food and rest. It's a miracle you survived at all, Cures or no," a fourth said spell washed over him.

"How did crazy science dude _do_ that?" Zack asked in horrified interest.

A flash of burning green, of being strapped down and helpless, of knives and pain.

Sephiroth staggered to his feet, one hand going to his head as the image tore through him. Not one of his memories—Hojo had been less… _brutal_ with him.

"Sephiroth!" Angeal and Genesis were bracing him up in a heartbeat.

Slowly, the General lowered his hand, remembering that Cloud had said they were connected to such a degree that he had been pulled along with the Planet's Guard into their past. "Was that…?"

Cloud winced, "Sorry. Been trying to keep that from happening."

"Keep _what_ from happening?" Genesis snapped, agitated by the sudden shift in the one he saw as a rival.

"Memory transfer," Cloud looked away, "We're too… _close,_ now. I'm halfway to a genetic clone, and we both have live JENOVA cells… they allow for transmission of strong enough thought and memory even between two otherwise unconnected individuals. Between _us…_" he left that thought unfinished.

Sephiroth remembered the Cetra girl telling him of when the parasite had controlled Cloud through her connection to his cells, a reconstruction of his body that was fully under her control.

Angeal hissed as Genesis growled, Zack blinking. "You two can talk in your heads?"

"Undoubtedly," Sephiroth murmured, a tinge of wry bitterness to his tone. "It also means that when he has flashbacks… I am likely to experience them."

Cloud sighed, allowing the link between them to open. _Nightmares,_ he warned, knowing that Seph, this _real_ Sephiroth, had no control over the link—no experience with it. That had been JENOVA and a half-living clone.

"Ah," Seph murmured, "I had forgotten…" tentatively, he reached back across that Otherness in his head. _I assume I will feature in them?_

"Oh, you have _no_ idea," Cloud murmured back, _More Masamune-wielding remnants and clones, but… from my point of view. Getting run through by something that looks like you _can't_ be fun._

Sephiroth covered his eyes, a feeling of helplessness—half hysterical—welling up in him. He gave a mirror of the laughing groan Cloud had earlier, only his was edged with uncertainty rather than pain. "This is going to be… _interesting._"

"Sephiroth?" Angeal asked, concerned at the uncharacteristic loss of control.

"He's in my _head,_" the glowing eyes held an edge of fear, "It is… disconcerting."

"Master of understatement," Cloud grumbled, just loud enough to be heard. "Too tired to try and lock it down."

Flashes of image and emotion bounced between the two pale-haired men and Cloud groaned in irritation. "Damn it, Seph! Get a grip! I'm _not_ going to try and control you!"

Fear crossed the faces of the other two Firsts, "You can _control_ him?"

Cloud snorted, "I've never tried, so I don't know. But Hojo intended it for me to be controlled _by_ him, and Professor Sadistic counted me a failure for _some_ reason. It's… possible."

Sephiroth _forced_ himself to calm, knowing that Cloud spoke the truth. On both counts.

Blue flickered towards him, "_Thank_ you."

Sephiroth's lips quirked wryly, "I doubt I _could_ control you, Strife. Your sense of self is… powerful."

The wince was telling and a flash of memory told him that had not always been so. Mako, JENOVA, and foreign memory—he'd thought he had been Zack?—how long and hard a road it had been to be _Cloud_ again.

"If you encounter Hojo in my presence… I will help you hide the body."

Three jaws dropped and Cloud gave a genuine smile, "Thanks, but that could get you in serious trouble." _One of us should be here._

_Understood._

"What did you just _see?_" Zack blurted.

Sephiroth glanced at Cloud, received the tiniest of resigned nods. "Mako, scalpels, and live 'specimen' dissection, without anesthesia."

Zack flinched, looking ill, Angeal and Genesis visibly taken aback.

"I believe it's time to find out what the good Professor has been up to all these years," Genesis stated.

Angeal swallowed once, nodding. "I agree. Bad enough to do such a thing to monsters_,_ but to _people?_"

"We're not people," Cloud spat, "Just research. Sometimes numbers, if he likes you."

"I'm glad you have recovered enough to be angry," Sephiroth stated, "but I believe a subject change is in order. I must speak with Lazard. Will one of you stay here with Strife?" he directed the last at the three SOLDIERs.

"I will," Angeal offered, his mother-hen instincts obviously roused.

Zack crept closer to the weary CALAMITY-tainted WEAPON replacement, not at all subtle.

Cloud chuckled, opening one eye to look at the spiky-haired teen. "You're horrible at stealth."

Zack pouted, then walked over to flop on the couch next to Cloud, "Hey, Spiky!"

A flash of pain, so intense it was almost physical, had Sephiroth hissing where Cloud was silent.

"Sorry," Cloud said softly, "… he used to call me that. We didn't… I was catatonic by the time he broke us out. So deep in Mako poisoning that all I could do was _watch…_"

Zack was immediately contrite, "Sorry, I didn't mean…"

Cloud managed a small smile, "You're just so _alike._ It's not your fault."

"So… Chocobo," Zack tried, encouraged by the exasperated snort and the fact that he hadn't been kicked off the couch, then realized he had nothing to ask that wasn't potentially dangerous ground. His usual questions—where are you from, etc.—probably would have painful reactions. "Um… got a girlfriend?"

Sephiroth flinched, remembering what Aeris had told him when he was wandering the Lifestream, almost surprised when the flash of unease was brushed aside by slow, sad affection from the blond.

"No," Cloud said, "There's a girl from Nibelhiem I made a promise to… I should write her. But girlfriend? She's too… I don't know. She's like a sister. But when we were younger, her dad… well, I like my head attached, thanks."

Denzel wasn't more than a few month old, was he? And Marlene wasn't born yet. His mother, though…

Realization.

"I should write my mom," he murmured. "Let her know… well. Let her know I'm alive."

Sephiroth considered the two on the couch for a moment more before leaving, Genesis and Angeal remaining behind.

"You're from Nibelhiem?" Zack asked. "Never heard of it."

Cloud snorted, "And you're any better? From that accent, I'd say you're just as much of a nowhere-boy as I am."

"Gongaga," Zack stated, trying for prim and failing miserably.

Cloud chuckled, "Let me guess; a reactor and nothing else?"

"Well, there are the Touch-Me frogs and Kimara Bugs, but aside from that and a few wild Grand Horns that never come close to town…"

Cloud snickered, "Touch-Mes and Kimaras? Your monsters _suck,_ Porcupine."

Zack puffed up, "Oh, yeah? What do they have where you're from, then?"

"Nothing too much," Cloud shrugged, "Mostly Nibel Wolves. A few others—Valrons, Dorky Faces, Black Bats, Sonic Speeds, Twinbrains, Kyuvildons, stuff like that. The only ones that are any real trouble are the Dragons, though. One of those almost ate me, once."

Zack gaped and Angeal chuckled quietly in the background.

"You almost got _eaten by a dragon?_" He sounded impressed. "How'd you get out of that one?"

Cloud shook his head, remembering. "Well, I kinda brought a landslide down on its head with Quake." They'd been right beside an only semi-stable cliff.

It was Genesis who made the appreciative sound this time, "So you know your way around materia?"

"Have a few, natural formed."

"May I see?" He sounded all too interested and Cloud cast back through Zack's memories. Genesis was a materia master.

"A moment," Cloud murmured, getting up and walking into the guest room. He _pulled,_ and Ultima and his materia came. He popped the equipped materia free and gathered the loose materia to him, bundling them up in his old cadet clothing. There were enough pockets to hide them all, then dismissed Ultima after making sure none of the others had followed him.

He wandered back to the living room, plucking materia out of pockets that he'd only just sequestered them in and tossing one in Genesis' direction.

Genesis blinked as the yellowish orb hit his hand, reluctantly impressed. "I don't know this one."

Angeal stared at him.

Cloud shrugged, "W-Magic. Allows you to cast two Spells at once."

Genesis immediately looked envious, and Cloud grinned, "Keep it."

"You have _two_ of them?"

"Commands are a common spawn at one of the materia springs I know."

Envy didn't begin to describe it as Genesis stared at Cloud.

Cloud managed a genuine smile, "Been a while since I've been there, if it even still exists. The land is pretty unstable, but… I'll take you sometime if its still there."

"What else do you have?"

He wasn't about to pass over Master Command, which is what he had. Master Summon or Master Magic, either. However, he had a few other stray Magics and Summons as well as an All, most low level due to lack of use.

With a sigh, Cloud went fishing though pockets again, pulling out a handful of greens and reds. The Earth was decently leveled, he'd been keeping it equipped just so he could level it to sell. That was the first he tossed over.

"… Earth?" Genesis frowned at the orb in his hand. "It feels… different."

Cloud shrugged, "They tend to, after I've been leveling them for a while. They… _attune._ Naturals more than manufactured."

"Huh," Genesis kept frowning at the materia and Cloud huffed, walking over to drop several others in the Magic-using General's hand. "These are spares," he said shortly, uneasy with the admission. "Keep them if you like. I don't need that Earth either—I was just leveling it to sell."

"Fire, Ice, Restore, Lightning, Heal… _Comet? Summons?_ What _aren't_ spares?"

"The mastered ones," he stated dryly, not mentioning that his mastered materia were also _Master_ materia. Not that anyone aside from Bugenhagen were likely to know Master materia, but still. "And my Independents."

"What Independents do you have?" Angeal asked, a hand firmly on Genesis' shoulder.

"Not too many," Cloud shrugged, "Chocobo Lure, Underwater… I think that's it. Unless I still have that Mega All—but I think I gave that to…" he trailed off. _Yuffie._ Huh. Would he even ever see her again? The annoying little materia-thieving sister of his? She had to be all of four right now.

"And _why_ do you have a mastered Comet?" Zack understood that the last had been a painful turn of thought and wanted to redirect attention.

"Aside from the boat trip and a short truck ride… I _walked_ from the Nibel Mountains. By myself."

Zack whistled and the two Firsts started and stared at him in a whole different way.

"Yeah," Cloud stated, "Let's see _you_ take on the hordes of monsters between here and there _without_ one."

"Not even gonna try," Zack grinned, "Man, little Chocobo's got _claws!_"

Cloud sighed, resigning himself to a long day. It wasn't so _bad,_ really, but he was _exhausted._

"Hey, you ok?" the concern in Zack's voice had Cloud blinking and looking at the Second.

"Sorry; tired. And sore," he admitted, dropping back to the couch, using the movement and the strained cloth of his original cadet uniform to hide the wisps of green as he dismissed his Master materia before they were discovered.

"Do you need another Cure?" Angeal broke in before Zack could ask something similar, eying the blond with clear concern.

Cloud gave that one some honest consideration, "Not yet. Ask me again in half an hour."

"Perhaps you should eat and rest," Sephiroth cut in from the doorway, casting a Cure despite Cloud's claim not to need one before shutting the door with his hip, what appeared to be an army's worth of take-out boxes in his hands.

Cloud had felt the man approaching, but Zack actually startled at the Silver General's appearance.

Cloud huffed, "Could have waited," he pointed out.

"Strife, the levels of 'discomfort' you are accustomed to enduring without complaint are enough to make most full-fledged SOLDIERs pass out in agony. I am disinclined to trust your judgment on when you are in need of a Restore's assistance."

Cloud blinked, honestly puzzled.

Sephiroth actually huffed, exasperated. "You were run through and did not _flinch._ Would you expect that from anyone else?"

"… no." Cloud admitted. "Huh. Never really thought of it like that."

"Of course you didn't," Sephiroth sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I spoke to Lazard. He put up fairly little protest, though I did not give him much reason behind my interest in mentoring you. I would suggest darkened goggles to hide your glow until we pass you into SOLDIER proper."

Cloud nodded, then shifted as Sephiroth added a final warning, clearly forgetting the others in the room _didn't know._

"And keep from using that monstrosity of yours—use a broadsword until we can come up with a reason for you having it."

Cloud shook off his worry, deciding to play it off in hopes of no one questioning too much, "'That monstrosity' has a _name,_ you know," he sniped back. "Ultima is a perfectly acceptable weapon. Would I ever tell you to give up Masamune?"

"Masamune isn't twice my size," Seph sniped right back, "Where did you _get_ that thing, anyway?"

Cloud snorted, "Only twice your height," he tossed back, "And I made it."

He paused suddenly, a puzzled look crossing his face, "But when…?"

"Strife?"

Huh. It didn't make _sense._ The WEAPONS still existed, didn't they? How did he have Ultima?

Sephiroth apparently caught that thought, as he went from concerned to surprised. _It's made from _what?

Cloud glanced at the General, catching the startled thought. _I made it from the WEAPONs, _he returned silently. _Mostly ULTIMA, but the hilts are from RUBY and DIAMOND._

Seph shook his head slightly, "Of course you did," he muttered, "At any rate, Strife needs to eat and sleep," it wasn't quite an order, but Sephiroth's immediate turn for the kitchen and dining area had slightly confused SOLDIERs and a tired time-traveler following.


	3. Chapter 2

_Ok, I re-did the end of the last chapter, so if you haven't re-read that yet, please do. Note: Someone brought to my attention that Ultima and the Fusion Swords are not one and the same. Well, perhaps not in wiki. However, in this story, they are. I'm sorry for any confusion, but referring to the Fusion Swords as such kind of gives away its(their?) main strength._

_**Chapter 2**_

Sephiroth wasn't sure how comfortable he was, right then, dining with people he _knew_ the fates of. Angeal and Genesis, at least, would degrade. He knew of no way to stop that.

Trying to put those thoughts out of his mind, Sephiroth busied himself with fetching plates from a cupboard and setting them on the table, still thinking.

He should have expected Strife's reaction to the sight of the Second Class SOLDIER. He should also have expected the reaction to his own touch—Strife had been conditioned to see anything with his face and voice as a threat.

"Sephiroth?" Angeal's voice cut into his musings, drawing his attention back to the previous question.

"Forgive me," he murmured. "I am… distracted."

"We noticed," Genesis this time, with a snide undertone that had Sephiroth wanting to glare but not quite able to work up the energy.

"Is it Chocobo?"

This time, the Silver General sighed, "He will be getting much undesired attention for being my mentee."

Zack ignored the minor byplay of Angeal and Genesis exchanging glances, focusing instead on Sephiroth. "What do you mean?"

It was Cloud's turn to sigh, dropping into a seat that Seph absently gestured to. "It was… a long time ago that Hojo had me," he spat the name like a curse. "He hasn't… recognized me. But now… won't he be _curious._"

"Oh," Zack's voice was very small and the two junior Generals winced.

"He will not touch you," Sephiroth stated firmly.

Cloud huffed, "I _can_ take care of myself, you know. And Hojo, if it comes down to that."

"… I would prefer you to avoid the Professor entirely."

"The Turks are not a problem," Cloud pointed out, mildly amused.

It was Sephiroth's turn to roll his eyes with a muttered "Not the point," before raising his voice slightly, "If you kill the man, all of Shinra will be after you."

The half-bitter, half-amused thought of '_Wouldn't be the first time,'_ touching his mind had Sephiroth pinching the bridge of his nose as if to stave off a headache, resisting the urge to snap something less than complimentary back at Strife.

Instead, he offered a token glare, _I thought the point was to have things be _different,_ this time around._

Strife inclined his head, acknowledging the point, even while making one of his own. _It is Hojo's manipulations and madness that made JENOVA so able to cause trouble. He _will_ have to be dealt with sooner or later._

Sephiroth grimaced a bit, _I can understand that. However, _planning_ should be involved. You _must not_ get caught._

Sighing, Strife nodded.

Zack looked back and forth between the two, before deciding aloud, "I'm not asking."

Strife glanced at the Puppy, offered a tired smile. "Sorry, just getting chewed out for possible carelessness in my head. Easier than talking, right now."

There was outright exhaustion in the blond's voice, the words slightly slurred.

"Eat," Sephiroth ordered, dishing food for Strife and setting it and utensils firmly in front of him. "Your body _cannot_ handle this without food." A gesture somehow managed to indicate increased height and muscle mass. He doubted that the blond had actually gained any weight, which meant that the mass had to come from somewhere else inside his body—most likely reserves in his organs—and without food, he _would_ die.

He was a little surprised by the lack of protest or comeback.

Strife raised an eyebrow as he swallowed his first bite. _What? I know what's going on better than you do. Besides, I'm _starving.

Sephiroth found himself pinching the bridge of his nose again, "You could have mentioned this _earlier._"

"What?" Zack asked, pausing in the middle of getting his own food, and Sephiroth was abruptly the center of all three other SOLDIERs' attention.

"Strife _knew_ it could kill him to not intake sustenance after the enhancements began taking effect."

_I didn't say that,_ Strife's voice in his head was irritable—much better than almost apathetically tired. _But it didn't take much to figure it out how hungry I was had to mean _something.

"_What?_" Two voices—Zack and Angeal, both sounding somewhere between surprised and horrified.

Cloud huffed, but continued eating at a remarkably sedate pace, all things considered.

"I stand corrected;" Sephiroth murmured into the sudden silence as the other SOLDIERs flipped their attention to Strife. "He did not know _beforehand._ Still, you need to take better care of yourself, Strife."

Strife only rolled his eyes, a strange irritated confusion leaking over from the knot of _Other_ in Sephiroth's mind.

"Why are you confused?"

A pause. Flashes of memory—he had been needed, needed to the extent that his comrades often did not notice his lack of self-care as he always seemed capable of continuing. Another flash, blurred and indistinct—as a child, many wanting him dead. Not enough to kill him, but enough to torment to the point of driving him into the forest time and again in hopes that one day, he wouldn't come _back._ Other bits and pieces; what did Hojo care if his specimens didn't care for themselves? Nearly all of them would have taken death over Hojo's 'care' any day.

Sephiroth shook his head slightly, profoundly disturbed. "You are not…" What? Not needed here? An untruth of the highest degree, considering the Planet had reversed time for Strife. "I understand your confusion," Sephiroth said finally, "And I find myself… disturbed… by the reasons. However, unlike your former… comrades, I _am_ capable of taking care of myself."

A slight, wry quirk of lips.

"As for the others… no one here wants to drive you to suicide and… I care for your safety."

Strife growled at him, eyes flickering briefly to three horrified SOLDIERs and setting his fork down. "They _tried,_" he snapped. "They tried and they _failed,_" a trace of bitter satisfaction, "and it's not like I deliberately don't take care of myself," he added. "I just…"

"You don't know what it is, anymore."

A sigh, anger evaporated, "Yeah."

"Then we shall teach you," Sephiroth stated, closing that conversation with a hint of military-dismissal in his tone.

Zack took it upon himself to break the silence, "So, you have Chocobo as an apprentice, Seph?"

Sephiroth's glare was enough to have Strife snickering quietly as he returned to his food.

"I did not give you permission to address me so informally, Zackary."

_Threaten him with paperwork._

A glance to amused blue even as the Puppy whined, and Sephiroth smirked. "If you continue to address me as such, I do believe I can find some additional paperwork for you…"

Zack squeaked.

Angeal chuckled softly, though Sephiroth could tell that he and Genesis were both wondering why the cadet had permission and Zack did not—but they were likely to let the matter lie, for now.

The meal continued to light banter between Zack and Sephiroth with amused comments from Angeal and the occasional _Loveless_ quote from Genesis.

Strife ate in silence, focusing on his food, then excused himself.

Sephiroth glanced at him, "Guest room," he murmured.

Strife nodded once and slipped out of the room, soundless despite cadet-issue combat boots.

Sephiroth watched him go, a small frown on his face.

"Something bothering you?"

Sephiroth glanced to Angeal, taking in the serious expression, a mirror of that expression on Genesis' face and Zack fidgeting anxiously.

"More than I dare say," Sephiroth admitted tiredly. "We need a plan."

_xxxx_

Cloud snapped awake, throwing the sudden presence aside and on his feet with a crackle of electricity appearing around a clenched fist before cancelling the magic, wide-eyed, "Zack! Gaia, don't _do_ that!"

Zack—he had hurt _Zack._ A Cure washed over the teen sprawled on the floor against the corner before he could so much as protest that he was fine.

Cloud was beside Zack in a blink.

Zack grinned, extending a hand for help up, "Man, Chocobo—that was _awesome!_ Can you teach me how to do that?"

Cloud pulled the black-haired teen to his feet, shaken by the fact that he could have seriously injured or killed this younger Zack. He was, after all, only a Second.

"Is everything all right?" Angeal asked in concern as he darted into the room after hearing the thud and feeling the tingle of magic being used nearby.

Zack bounced, "Yeah, I didn't even need the Cure, Cloudy here's just being paranoid."

"If I hadn't _recognized_ you, you would have needed a lot more than a Cure."

Cloud had the ability to revive the recently dead thanks to Master Magic, and would have called Life2 without hesitation if he'd killed the teen, but he was still shaken by the fact that he could have needed that spell.

"Strife is correct," Sephiroth stated, moving into the doorway, "With his new enhancements… underestimating his abilities has the potential to be deadly."

Cloud glanced at Seph, grimacing at the half-truth.

"No harm was done," Seph informed, "You cancelled the Bolt3 and Zack is uninjured. Give it time, Strife. You will adjust."

Cloud nodded once, "Any reason why you woke me?"

"You've been sleeping for _ages!_" Zack complained.

Cloud flinched. That was something his Zack had never said, but he knew that the other had thought it, worried for over a year, somehow managing to keep both of them alive while on the run from Shinra.

Seph stepped forward, cutting in with a reproving "Zack."

"Huh—oh, Gaia, I'm _sorry_—"

"It's not your fault," Cloud stated quietly. "Don't feel like you have to walk on eggshells around me. I'll get used to it."

Seph shook his head, an odd little smile quirking his lips. "You have been sleeping for almost twenty-four hours. You need to eat."

Cloud considered how he felt and conceded the point.

_xxxx_

After Cloud had eaten, he turned his attention back to the group that had re-gathered in Sephiroth's apartment, sensing there was something they wanted to talk about.

"Strife, I believe we may have a way to explain away the sudden onset of your enhancements. However, it will require you returning to Nibelhiem."

A flinch, then a sigh. "Yeah. So long as I can burn down the mansion."

Seph's expression darkened, "So that is where…"

"Yeah. You were born there, too, you know."

By Seph's sudden pause, he hadn't. "What do you know of this?"

"Not much," Cloud admitted. "Just that your mother's name was Lucrecia. She… _disappeared_ shortly after you were born, leaving you in Hojo's unfortunate care. I know someone who might know more, though. I'll see if I can get in contact while I'm there."

"Then JENOVA…"

Cloud shook his head, "JENOVA is a parasite. You know that."

Seph inclined his head, looking oddly troubled.

"And since when was Hojo anything but a manipulative megalomaniac with delusions of godhood and a sadistic streak a mile wide?"

Seph's lips quirked slightly, "You have a point, but perhaps we should get back to the original subject…"

It was a good plan, Cloud had to admit to that.

_xxxx_


	4. Chapter 3

_Alright. Another quick update—not long, but hey. I won't reliably have a lot of time after tomorrow, though, so I figured I'd clean this up and give it to you just to see what you guys think. I'm not entirely sure I like it, but I don't have a beta—anyone up for the position?_

_That aside, if anyone has real problems with this chapter, I'll be happy to revise a bit._

_**Chapter 3**_

Nibelhiem. It was not someplace and Cloud had expected to go to again. After everything that happened there, he had planned to avoid it. Now, though, things had changed.

His mother, the only blood family he ever known, was _alive._ That alone was enough to have him return to that place that was the center of so many of his nightmares. Of course, seeing her would have to come second. She would have questions he could not yet answer—could likely never answer truthfully—though if the plan was implemented properly, she would probably not ask.

It _was_ a good plan, save for one small detail. A detail Cloud had refrained from pointing out.

Zack was a terrible actor.

_xxxx_

Dragons were not precisely uncommon near Nibelhiem, though they rarely ventured quite so close to town. It was oddly convenient that one had come near enough to be a threat. It had not yet caused trouble, but the townspeople were understandably concerned.

Because of this, Mayor Lockhart had sent a request to Shinra—a request for a SOLDIER to take care of the potential problem.

The request was actually several weeks old, according to the date, and a SOLDIER would have been sent out within the next few days regardless—possibly a team of Thirds or Seconds. However, Sephiroth was quite pleased to be able to send Zack—Second though he was—with Cloud as 'backup'.

In reality, Cloud was probably the one who would deal with the reptilian creature. After all, he was far more skilled than any Second Class, and had enough mako in his blood by this point to send _Sephiroth_ into a coma.

Cloud was thinking out ways to make their plan's execution a little more believable when he and Zack got to the mansion.

Going inside was like walking into a nightmare, but Cloud pressed on, Zack a (for once) silent support at his side.

Once they reached the lab, Zack began to look decidedly disturbed, and Cloud had to _force_ himself to breathe evenly. Not much was different from his memories of the place, except that Hojo and his people had obviously not been there in quite some time.

"Was this where…" Zack trailed off, uneasy.

Cloud nodded, unable to answer aloud. But there were things he needed to do—and for that, Zack should probably not be following. Vincent… well, Cloud would have to tell Vincent _something_ to get him out of that coffin. And Lost Number was still hanging out in that safe—Lost Number was tougher than the average dragon by a good margin, and he didn't want Zack caught in the crossfire. Which meant…

"Can you wait here?" Cloud asked after a moment's pause. "I… I need to check something."

Zack looked at his newest friend in obvious concern, but relented at the combination of discomfort and steely determination. "All right. Call if you need me, ok?"

Cloud nodded, turned, and made his way deeper into the building, knowing full well that Zack would hear the coming fight but hoping he could bring Lost Number down before the Second caught up.

The safe opened to a number he somehow still remembered, and Lost Number burst out with an angry roar.

Cloud had already had his broadsword in hand and the fight was short blur of blood and sound that ended even as Zack pounded up the stairs.

Cloud wasn't even breathing hard, though his broadsword hadn't fared too well in the face-off. That is to say, the experiment's clawed blow had shattered the Shinra-issue blade, though that hadn't stopped Cloud from burying the last two _very sharp_ feet of metal in the creature's 'head'.

"Cloud!"

"I'm fine," Cloud called back, glaring at the shards of metal sticking out of wood. "Cheap sword couldn't take it."

Zack skidded to a halt in the doorway, surveying the damage.

And there _was_ damage. Aside from metal shards decorating the wall and the side of the bookcase, Cloud had failed to dodge the blood-splatter from Lost Number's dying twitch and had crimson streaked across his face and chest as well as an already-healing scratch were one of the sword-shards grazed his cheek.

"You sure you're all right?" Zack asked, entering the room after his momentary pause, eyeing the red on Cloud's form.

Cloud nodded with an irritated grimace, "I knew that sword was cheap metal, but that was just ridiculous." It _was,_ too. He hadn't expected Lost Number's claws to be so hard_._

"Where'd that thing come from, anyway?" Zack asked, prodding at the misshapen body with his foot.

Cloud walked up to the safe and grabbed the key he was after, as well as the materia. "The safe," he replied even while doing so. "Got the key, though. Still, it would probably be better if you didn't come where I'm going. If the man I'm looking for is here… well, lets just say, he's got good reason to mistrust Shinra."

Zack wasn't dumb, no matter what people said about his attention span. "Hojo got to him?"

"Yeah," Cloud grimaced, "Different than me. But… Well, he loved Lucrecia. I know that much—Hojo shot him over his trying to defend her."

"Lucrecia… isn't that the woman you said was Sephiroth's mom?"

Cloud nodded, "Hojo has this habit of muttering when he's thinking of something. He never thinks any of his experiments might be listening. Or, if he does, he doesn't think we're a threat. Anyway, this guy was a Turk and Hojo's had him way longer than he had me, so…"

"He could hurt you, Cloud."

Cloud smiled slightly, a little bitter. "Not if I tell him about me."

Zack considered. "I don't like it."

Cloud shrugged one shoulder, "Look, just stay outside the door until I've at least talked to him, ok? That way you can interfere if things get ugly."

Zack hesitated a moment more before nodding. "All right, Chocobo, but be careful."

_xxxx_

Cloud opened the coffin room and slipped inside, Zack reluctantly waiting in the open doorway.

A quick flip sent the Vincent's coffin's lid thudding to the floor, a screech of torn metal telling Cloud he'd broken the hinges. Good. He didn't want to make it easy for the man to pull the lid closed.

A moment's confusion on Vincent's part as he woke to the abrupt noise, but he recovered quickly enough, sitting to pin Cloud with a ruby-eyed glare.

"Vincent Valentine," Cloud stated, by way of greeting.

"Why have you disturbed my rest?"

A soft 'erk' from the doorway had Cloud having to bite back a snicker. That was so vampire-esque cliché.

Instead, he smoothed his expression, "I thought you might want to know Hojo's not here, you've been in there for over twenty years, and Sephiroth—Lucrecia's son—is perfectly alive. I intend to burn this place to the ground. While you would probably survive it, it would be a remarkably unpleasant experience and I seriously doubt that your coffin would."

A pause, uneasy. "How do you know of Lucrecia and her son?"

Cloud shrugged, "Hojo doesn't exactly watch what he says around specimens being 'tested to destruction'."

An odd little twitch—for Vincent, something like blanching in horrified shock—and he stood slowly. "You were…"

Cloud grimaced, "Yeah. And I know how to handle your beasts, if that's any help."

Vincent apparently knew exactly what 'tested to destruction' meant in Hojo-terms. Who knew that would get him up so easily?

"And Lucrecia's son lives?"

Cloud nodded once, "Hojo is unfortunately still head of the science department, though. Sephiroth… well, can _you_ picture being raised by that sadist? He's my mentor and the leading General of Shinra's SOLDIER, though, and… I think he'd like to talk to you."

Vincent hesitated, looking down at the shorter male, then nodded once. "For Lucrecia's son, I will accompany you."

Vincent had questions, that much was obvious, but he was also very aware of the SOLDIER's presence in the doorway. "Why are you with Shinra?" is the only one he asked.

"Because I couldn't remember," Cloud informed, stepping back to allow Vincent to move away from the coffin. "This is Zack. He's SOLDIER. We were sent to take care of a dragon too close to town. It's somewhere near here."

Vincent nodded silently, gesturing for Cloud to go ahead.

"I'm Cloud," the blond belatedly remembered he never introduced himself. "Let's find that dragon—after that, well… this is the plan…"

_xxxx_

Holed up in a cave. _Great._ And of _course_ the cave would have a mako spring in it—which actually made their little ruse so much more believable, as the gist of it was 'pretend Cloud fell into a mako spring and somehow survived while on your mission'—but Cloud still didn't like it. Especially since he was effectively unarmed but for materia. Master Command and Master Magic were linked in his Seph-given bangle, which meant he could _probably_ take out a dragon with minimal fuss, but if the monster happened to be mako-mad it could pose a problem.

A shift of scale against stone, a glow of warning—"Get down!"

Flame seared above them, Vincent and Zack pulling weapons the moment they hit the ground, broadsword and gun trained on the dragon in less than a heartbeat.

Cloud snapped up Wall, effectively protecting them from a second searing flame even as electricity cracked out towards the beast.

The dragon roared as Vincent shot, flinging its head back and shaking itself before snapping its head forward again—eyes shining with mako.

Cloud groaned in exasperation as the dragon charged, distantly grateful that it couldn't get airborne in such close quarters, and threw another Bolt3 in the creature's face.

It stumbled, its full weight crashing towards the effectively unarmed Cloud—Zack moved to defend him, but Cloud was already airborne, cursing his inattentiveness as the tail whipped around to redirect his flight to an angle that really _did_ have him splashing into the mako spring.

He rolled to his feet and stumbled back out as quickly as he could, thankful that the spring was fairly shallow, and flung a quick Death spell, cursing that he hadn't thought of that to _begin_ with.

He hit his knees, dazed as the mako began to absorb into his skin with an all-too-familiar burn. In heartbeats, Zack and Vincent were pulling him up.

"Where's your mom's house?" Zack demanded.

Hazily, Cloud tried to remember. It had been so _long…_

"Damn it!" Zack snapped at the lack of response, hauling Cloud into a bridal-carry and bolting towards the cave entrance. With an odd twist and a flick of his wrist, he sent his PHS arching towards Vincent, who was following without comment.

Vincent caught it mostly on reflex, sending a slightly puzzled glance to the nearly panicking Second. "Call Sephiroth! Let him know what happened!"

A few moments passed while Vincent figured out the unfamiliar object, then found the General's name on the contacts list. Another slight pause as he waited for the man to pick up, then a cool, matter-of-fact explanation.

"_Get him to safety,"_ was the order over the phone, slightly terse with concern. _"His mother's house is the furthest away from the village, northwest of town. It should be the nearest to your current location. I will arrange a pickup."_

Vincent scowled at the order, but recognized the reason behind it and refrained from protesting.

Zack's mako-hearing picked up both sides of the conversation and he lengthened his stride, Vincent ghosting along beside him.

_xxxx_


	5. Chapter 4

_I don't know quite why, but inspiration's running ridiculously high for this fandom right now._

_Other news: the next chapter of _The Bonding_ is begun, haltingly. I'm working on it._

_**Chapter 4**_

Waking was a struggle, though not the same dragging haze that it had been coming out of mako poisoning the first two times. No, more like he hadn't rested enough in weeks and now that he was sleeping, his body protested the raising from unconsciousness.

Cloud stared at the ceiling for several seconds before turning his head, unable to place where he was. It was familiar, in a vague way, familiar like… like Nibelhiem, only the pain that tugged at his heart at the reminder was deeper, sharper.

The realization struck like the dragon's tail, knocking the breath out of him. He was _home._

He dragged his focus to what he needed to do. What did he remember of his mother?

Eyes like a summer sky, warm and loving. Aside from that, not much. He closed his eyes again, taking a moment to breathe through a sense of mingled grief and hope. He _had_ to stay calm. His mother didn't know… It would break her heart.

Damn, he hoped Zack and Vincent hadn't mentioned the 'experiment' part. That would poke some very obvious holes in his story, true though that story was.

Cloud let out a breath. Well. Nothing for it—he couldn't change what they had or hadn't talked about. He didn't even know how long he'd been out of it.

He flipped back the covers and rolled to his feet, noting absently he was dressed in light pajamas instead of the mako-soaked cadet clothing. Not surprising.

He scanned the room, spotted his pack lying in the corner, and changed into a clean uniform, as nothing else he had fit properly. He wanted to settle Ultima at his back, but had neither the harness nor the explanation for it.

With a silent sigh, he made his way to the door and slipped silently out of his room, making his way towards the place he could hear the others making harmless conversation in.

Harmless, and somewhat stilted.

His lips quirked fondly; Zack never could stand to let a silence hang, while both Vincent and his mother—from what little he could remember of her—were more than willing to sit in companionable quiet for hours.

"Oh, Cloud!" his mother's voice was familiar despite the fact that he was unable to quite remember it.

He offered a wavering smile, not quite sure what to say, and his unease must have showed.

"Spike? You ok?" Zack's concern was touching.

"I…" he hesitated, glancing at his mother again, "I can't…" A breath, "Ma, can I talk to you?"

She looked at him for a heartbeat before turning a calm glare on the other two in the room, "If you two would just wait here…"

Zack saluted, "Yes, ma'am!"

Vincent settled for a nod.

Mrs. Strife immediately grabbed a light jacket from the coat rack and a gun from the closet before gesturing to her son, "Come on, then, Cloud. Let's walk."

Once they were safely on the mountain trail, Cloud couldn't stop the entire story from tumbling out.

_xxxx_

Rayne Strife considered herself a fairly down-to-earth woman, practical and able to handle just about anything thrown her way. Cloud's story… it was insane. But she believed him—her son had never lied to her and the _pain_ in his tone…

She stopped, turned, and hugged him to her, noticing for the first time he was a little taller than her, now. "Oh, _Cloud_…"

Cloud stiffened and took several seconds to relax, then tentatively returned the hug, "Ma?" he asked.

She gave him a watery smile, fighting to hold back tears for everything he'd gone through. "How much do those two know?"

"Not much," Cloud admitted. "They know Hojo had me—it's kind of hard to hide the mako—but not for how long. They don't know… anything that happened but that, really. They…I can't. Not yet."

Rayne nodded, releasing her son, "Well. We'll just have to make sure it stays that way, then."

_xxxx_

Cloud felt… lighter. He hadn't expected the complete acceptance, the willingness to help.

He hadn't known _what_ to expect, really, he only knew that he was slowly loosing his mind, unable to tell anyone the full truth without seeming completely insane and probably dangerous.

He hadn't _meant_ to tell his mother everything. He had needed to tell her some—but he had planned more half-truths that would satisfy her questions without letting her know the true horrors of his past. Something hadn't let him, though, and he'd found the whole truth spilling from him in an unstoppable torrent.

And she had _believed_ him. Not only that, she understood the need for silence as well as his need for someone uninvolved to talk to.

It meant the world.

_xxxx_

Zack was pacing as Vincent watched, apparently not quite sure what to do when confronted by boundless nervous energy.

"They've been gone a long time," Zack half-complained, worried. "What if something happened?"

Vincent's glowing red gaze examined him for several seconds before the man shrugged slightly, "They did not leave unarmed."

"But Chocobo doesn't even have a sword anymore, since his broke on that whatever-it-was in the room with the safe!"

"I doubt they will need more than a gun to handle the few monsters that come in close to town."

"But what if—" Zack cut himself off, tilting his head as mako-hearing caught footsteps on the trail leading to the house. He immediately bounded to the door and threw it open, causing Rayne Strife to blink and look up sharply while Cloud huffed a quiet laugh.

"We're fine, Zack."

Zack brightened. Cloud seemed much happier than when he had first awoken. "Hey, Chocobo! Feeling better?"

Cloud offered a small smile, "Yeah, sorry. Waking up like that was just…"

Zack winced, guessing his meaning. Mako poisoning—which that thankfully hadn't been—had some very _bad_ connections in Cloud's mind. And mako burned in a remarkably distinctive way, so…

"Anyway, Chocobo," Zack fell onto his temporary default—subject change. "I know you probably want to spend some more time with your mom, but Sephiroth's already arranged a pickup that will be here in less than two hours. Is there anything else that you need to get done before we leave?"

Cloud frowned, "Well, Seph said I could burn down the mansion, but now there's no time for that. I don't want to accidently cause more damage than just the mansion."

Vincent tilted his head slightly, "… So you will wait?"

Cloud nodded, "I'll have to. I can probably pull off a family visit in a few more months—I can do it then. There'll be more time to plan it, too, so there isn't any… _fallout._ But I _do_ need to get up to the reactor. There's something there that _has_ to be taken care of."

There was a pause as Zack processed that. "Isn't that, like, five miles from here?"

"Can't take the bridge," Cloud corrected, "So more like nine. But I can get there if I run it."

Zack shook his head slightly, "Can you get _back?_"

Cloud snorted, "There's a helipad at the reactor. You could just pick me up there."

"You're not going alone, Cloud."

"Indeed not," Vincent murmured.

Cloud smirked, "Think you can keep up?"

Rayne cut in, "Be careful, all of you. Cloud… good luck."

Zack was hesitant to ask why that last was directed at Cloud alone, especially taking in Cloud's reaction.

"Yeah," the blond bowed his head, "Let's hope I don't need it."

_xxxx_


End file.
